: arousing or deserving hatred or repugnance : hateful
an odious crime
a false and odious comparison
odiously
adverb
odiousness
noun
Synonyms
Examples of odious in a Sentence
Two of them—his mother Livia and his odious sister Janice—were at heart killers like himself.
—
Geoffrey O'Brien, New York Review of Books, 16 Aug. 2007
He learned an important lesson some years ago in Panama. Manuel Antonio Noriega was too odious even for Carter, who shunned the Panamanian strongman in the run-up to the 1989 ballot there.
—Jim Wooten, New York Times Magazine, 29 Jan 1995
But, alas, I know the real me, the me with the soft, round stomach and the love handles, odious first cousins to the paunch.
—Jack McCallum, Sports Illustrated, 30 July 1990
It was one of the most odious crimes of recent history.
an odious and unforgivable insult
Geoffrey O'Brien, New York Review of Books, 16 Aug. 2007
He learned an important lesson some years ago in Panama. Manuel Antonio Noriega was too odious even for Carter, who shunned the Panamanian strongman in the run-up to the 1989 ballot there.
—Jim Wooten, New York Times Magazine, 29 Jan 1995
But, alas, I know the real me, the me with the soft, round stomach and the love handles, odious first cousins to the paunch.
—Jack McCallum, Sports Illustrated, 30 July 1990
It was one of the most odious crimes of recent history.
an odious and unforgivable insult
Recent Examples on the Web
After an odious 15-game performance, stained by players lacking discipline and fighting on the sideline, Penner identified the qualities most important for removing the floppy shoes and red nose from the organization’s coaching office.
—Matt Schubert, The Denver Post, 13 Oct. 2024
Nelson was speaking to the culprits behind these odious arrangements, in Congress (including himself from his time in the Senate), who see the space agency as a piggy bank and cost-plus contracts as a way to deliver jobs to constituents and share price boosts to campaign funders.
—Daniel Vergano, Scientific American, 17 Sep. 2024
Friendship can make odious tasks tolerable and worthwhile tasks more satisfying.
—Belinda Luscombe, TIME, 5 Sep. 2024
Davey Jones, professor of environmental science and public health at Bangor University, told BBC Science Focus the river, which hosted the triathlon and swimming marathon events, is replete with odious microorganisms like bacteria and viruses.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune Europe, 8 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for odious 
Matt Schubert, The Denver Post, 13 Oct. 2024
Nelson was speaking to the culprits behind these odious arrangements, in Congress (including himself from his time in the Senate), who see the space agency as a piggy bank and cost-plus contracts as a way to deliver jobs to constituents and share price boosts to campaign funders.
—Daniel Vergano, Scientific American, 17 Sep. 2024
Friendship can make odious tasks tolerable and worthwhile tasks more satisfying.
—Belinda Luscombe, TIME, 5 Sep. 2024
Davey Jones, professor of environmental science and public health at Bangor University, told BBC Science Focus the river, which hosted the triathlon and swimming marathon events, is replete with odious microorganisms like bacteria and viruses.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune Europe, 8 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for odious
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'odious.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near odious
Cite this Entry
“Odious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/odious. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
odious
adjective
odi·ous
ˈōd-ē-əs 
: causing hatred or strong dislike : worthy of hatred
odiously
adverb
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